If you watched the series premiere of “The Penguin” on HBO or Max last week, you might have noticed something conspicuously missing. No, we’re not talking about Robert Pattinson’s Bruce Wayne (as it turns out, there’s a good reason for Batman’s absence) or even the sneaky recasting of Carmine Falcone. For the observant viewers, the spinoff series following Colin Farrell’s Oswald Cobb sticks out precisely because of how it approaches the mythology surrounding its title character.Â
As established in director Matt Reeves’ “The Batman,” Gotham’s most ambitious gangster starts out as the proprietor of the Iceberg Lounge, essentially a toady to the likes of far more powerful figures like Falcone and his crime family. Not yet the criminal mastermind we know and love from various other superhero media, his is an origin story that is about to get much more fleshed out during the events of “The Penguin.” Just don’t expect him to ever refer to himself by that title.
“The Penguin” is picking up where Reeves left off, according to showrunner Lauren LeFranc. In an interview with Deadline, the writer opened up about the topic of Oz’s name — which, notably, has been changed from Cobblepot to Cobb — and how the series is handling his popular bird-inspired nickname. Although named as such a few times in “The Batman” (like when Batman mistakenly pins him as Riddler’s “rat with wings”), viewers of the HBO series won’t ever hear him refer to himself as such. Why? As LeFranc explains:
“I knew that Oz didn’t appreciate the term, and that was something that felt derogatory toward him. Gangsters in mobs often they have these nicknames for people. So it made a lot of sense that his nickname from others would be the Penguin. But it’s not a term that he embraces.”
The Penguin takes the villain in a more grounded direction
Gone are the days when the Penguin, one of Batman’s most fearsome foes, would wreak havoc while wearing a monocle and a top hat, unleashing a legion of robot penguins upon Gotham City. “The Batman” certainly paid homage to the villain’s sillier moments in his history, forcing Colin Farrell’s character to literally waddle at one point in the movie, but otherwise played things fairly straight — as straight as they could be, that is, while burying the famous actor under prosthetics and an uncomfortable costume. The HBO series is taking a similarly grounded approach, going so far as to include an obvious moment where Oz breaks out his distinctive umbrella … but without including anything overtly fantastical or comic-booky. In the same interview, Lauren LeFranc reveals that this had to do with branching out to a different demographic:
“I wanted to make sure that we could appeal to people who didn’t see [previous iterations of the character] or didn’t think it was for them, who wouldn’t necessarily be interested in a comic book show. I don’t view our show as a comic book show. I view it more as a crime drama … certainly a character-driven drama. I wanted to make sure we could appeal to more people because we’re trying to tell stories that are relatable and a bit different. I do hope that people who aren’t necessarily fans of the genre would be interested in this show.”
It’s ironic, then, that Farrell himself names one particular deleted scene as one that he wishes made the final cut. Without revealing exactly when in the season it takes place (though likely in one of the later episodes), the actor tells Deadline that there was a moment where Oz came across some kids on the street who call him the Penguin to his face, to which he responds positively. As he interpreted it, “I got the sense that Oz was actually stepping into the moniker and into his own kind of mythos. It’s not essential, but I like that idea that by the end, he’s okay with it. He sees the power in having a moniker like that.”
New episodes of “The Penguin” air on HBO and stream on Max every Sunday.
